Thiruvananthapuram: CPI-M leader VS
Achuthanandan on Tuesday deposed before the Joint Legislature
Committee probing the charge that he had made a move to
appoint his son as the director of a proposed state-run
academy during his tenure as Kerala Chief Minister.

Achuthanandan, who appeared before the JLC chaired by
Congress MLA VD Satheesan, was learnt to have refuted the
allegation that he had misused his position for clearing the
appointment of his son VA Arunkumar as the director of the
then proposed Information and Communication Technology
Academy.

The academy was conceived as a centre to train engineering
graduates on the latest developments in the ICT sector and
help them find placements under the state-sponsored technical
education agency IHRD.

However, the proposed academy did not take off as it
failed to get central clearance since the original proposal
was to start it under public-private participation mode as
similar academies exist in other states.

The former chief minister, now opposition leader in the
Assembly, spent about 30 minutes before the panel, which has
representation from all parties in the House.

His party colleague and previous education minister M A
Baby also deposed before the JLC today.

The charge that Achuthanandan misused his powers to favour
his son when the LDF was in power was raised by Youth Congress
state president PC Vishnuth in the state Assembly last year.

As the allegation created a flutter in the Assembly,
Achuthanandan dared the ruling side to prove the charge
through an impartial probe. The state government then
constituted a JLP to look into the issue.